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Martin Rundkvist's blog. Archaeology, skepticism, Sweden. And books and music and stuff.
Dr. Martin Rundkvist is a Swedish archaeologist, journal editor, public speaker, chairman of the Swedish Skeptics Society, atheist, lefty liberal, bookworm, and father of two.
March 31, 2010
Category: Humour
"The one great truth which underlies all human experience, and is the key to all the mysteries that philosophy has sought in vain to solve, flashed upon me in a sudden revelation."
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 7 Comments •
March 30, 2010
Category: Books
I treat all new books this way to keep their spines from cracking. And they just can't have enough of me.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 10 Comments •
March 29, 2010
Category: Music
Via David Nessle....
Posted by Martin R at 3:04 PM • 5 Comments •
Category: Having Fun
Joined Jrette on her first bike ride for the season. Had to raise the saddle 5 cm. Emceed at the Swedish Skeptics' first full-day conference. We felt that it was time to have a bigger event to make it worthwhile...
Posted by Martin R at 12:55 PM • 5 Comments •
Category: History
Protohistorical information is strictly speaking not factual knowledge. Not because we know that it's wrong, but because it is impossible to corroborate.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 14 Comments •
March 28, 2010
Category: Biology
These spring and early summer evenings, when the light never really fades and the blackbird sings its heart out... They fill me with a nameless urgency.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 3 Comments •
Category: Blogging
The 89th Four Stone Hearth blog carnival will run at Greg Laden's blog on Wednesday. Submit great recent stuff to Greg, your own or somebody else's. Anything anthro or archaeo goes! The next open hosting slot is on 9 June....
Posted by Martin R at 4:50 AM • 0 Comments •
March 27, 2010
Category: Humour
Posted by Martin R at 4:40 PM • 5 Comments •
March 26, 2010
Category: Biology
Spring is coming slowly, but it's finally coming. The squills have been awakened by heat radiating from our house, but still they reach for the sun.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 5 Comments •
March 25, 2010
Category: Archaeology
Denmark's archaeology is extremely rich and there's no reason to go on and on about early royal sites just because they were once royal.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 2 Comments •
March 24, 2010
Category: Bronze Age
It is impossible to be more rational than what your level of knowledge about the world allows.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 14 Comments •
March 23, 2010
Category: Blogging
I haven't been able to live-blog from the road since I got rid of the Qtek two years ago. But now I'm trying out my new Samsung Galaxy Spica, and it seems to work!...
Posted by Martin R at 9:09 AM • 0 Comments •
Category: Children
You know the bit in Khalil Gibran where he says that children are arrows and parents bows, not archers? The other day my kids recorded this rendition of the "Handy Manny" theme song, and then Junior edited it in Audacity....
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 3 Comments •
March 22, 2010
Category: Having Fun
Celebrated the 257th anniversary of the Academy of Letters wearing tails. Had a fine sunshine brunch on Folly Hill with my wife. The place was heavily dominated by couples born in the 70s and sporting toddlers / babies / big...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 3 Comments •
Category: Archaeology
Web gems have been sent my way.ASPEX, makers of scanning electron microscopes, offer to scan your sample for free and post the image on their site. Finally you can learn about the micro-structure of your tear-duct sleep gunk! Pablo...
Posted by Martin R at 8:10 AM • 0 Comments •
March 20, 2010
Category: NOIBN
Some time around 20 March each year, my part-time employers in The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters celebrate the 1753 foundation of the Academy. This gives me a rare reason to dress in tails. And I now look forward to...
Posted by Martin R at 11:57 AM • 22 Comments •
March 19, 2010
Category: Music
Cosmopolitan popster Mika is a great showman and tours with a great band. The audience at his gig in Stockholm last night was thoroughly charmed by the friendliness and musical mastery on offer. Mika traces his musical ancestry back...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 0 Comments •
Category: Blogging
The eighty-eighth Four Stone Hearth blog carnival is on-line at Ad hominin. Catch the best recent blogging on archaeology and anthropology! Submissions for the next carnival will be sent to Greg Laden. All bloggers with an interest in the subject...
Posted by Martin R at 3:47 AM • 2 Comments •
March 17, 2010
Category: Archaeology
When the amateurs challenge the professionals' opinion, all the latter can reply is "We know we're right but we can't show you how we know".
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 17 Comments •
March 16, 2010
Category: Books
Anyone who uses the Library of the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters more than briefly will soon discover that its staff has a thing for page 17. Every book in that excellent library carries a stamp of ownership on that page.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 17 Comments •
March 15, 2010
Category: Archaeology
Looks like a Viking raiding party that had bad luck. An interesting and very unusual find! It sort of lets us board a Viking ship and have a rare look at its crew.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 5 Comments •
Category: Humour
Sunday "... five men were indicted, some of them members of the Black Cobra criminal gang. They are suspected of involvement in cake theft from the Godbiten bakery in Åstorp [pop. 8500] earlier this week. The cake was stolen from...
Posted by Martin R at 8:10 AM • 6 Comments •
Category: NOIBN
Is there no pre-screening before stuff gets sent to reviewers, where patently kooky or ignorant contributions are killed on arrival?
Posted by Martin R at 8:05 AM • 8 Comments •
Category: Having Fun
Had brunch and a walk in the sunshine with wife and sans kids, a rare pleasure. Strange to think that in just a few years' time they won't need us much anymore. I guess it's one tiny step at a...
Posted by Martin R at 8:00 AM • 12 Comments •
March 14, 2010
Category: Language
Scandinavians generally speak pretty good English. But every now and then you come across reminders that they are still very far from being native speakers. Witness this pail of wall-paper glue that I bought earlier today. Dear Swedish glue-maker,...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 13 Comments •
Category: Blogging
The 88th Four Stone Hearth blog carnival will run at Ad Hominin on Wednesday. Submit great recent stuff to Ciarán, your own or somebody else's. Anything anthro or archaeo goes! The next open hosting slot is on 12 May. If...
Posted by Martin R at 6:54 AM • 0 Comments •
March 12, 2010
Category: Skepticism
The priest admits that he should have checked with the dad but that he didn't.
Posted by Martin R at 2:51 PM • 26 Comments •
March 11, 2010
Category: Biology
An unidentified whale beached itself and died in the area in 1709. Radiocarbon will tell if the newly found bones are likely to belong to that animal.
Posted by Martin R at 3:56 PM • 2 Comments •
March 10, 2010
Category: Politics
Here are the degrees where there will be a labour shortage in Sweden for the foreseeable future.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 30 Comments •
March 9, 2010
Category: Food
Christian fundamentalists like to believe that homosexuality is an illness that can -- and should -- be cured. The factual belief is contradicted by a solid scientific consensus, and the value judgement is widely considered to be a repressive...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 21 Comments •
March 8, 2010
Category: Film
Last week was skiing break for my kids. I couldn't find anywhere good to stay in the mountains, so we didn't go off on holiday. Here's what we did for fun instead. Dinner at the home of a Chinese...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 3 Comments •
March 6, 2010
Category: Music
Thanks to Swedepat for the tip-off....
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 6 Comments •
March 5, 2010
Category: Archaeology
Spring has reputedly reached certain areas way south of where I still shovel snow daily, and with it comes Antiquity's spring issue.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 2 Comments •
March 3, 2010
Category: Space
You can help forecast coronal mass ejections and other destructive solar activity that humanity needs early warning about.
Posted by Martin R at 5:51 PM • 0 Comments •
March 2, 2010
Category: Books
Weatherwise, last weekend was thawing and misty and overcast, so I didn't feel like doing much outdoors. I finished reading Daryl Gregory's new novel (didn't do much for me) and started Douglas Adams's fifth Hitch-hiker book. When it appeared in...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 5 Comments •
